«Poesis Artificiosa»: Between Theory and Practice

Poesis artificiosa was known in the literary heritage of ancient Greeks and Romans, and in the Far and Middle East. Its tradition was preserved in the Middle Ages and practiced later. Poesis artificiosa gained an unprecedented popularity in the Baroque – a period most inclined towards all manner of special effects. The aim of this book is to present problems related to the Neo-Latin pattern poetry created from the 15th to the 18th century in Central Europe, mainly in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, German Pomerania, and Silesia. In the initial chapters, the authors discuss the practical application of pattern poetry in religious works, in compositions intended for the commemoration of the departed, and in poems featuring panegyric content. The remaining chapters refer to its theoretical aspects.